just remember to fall
by szielone
Summary: Joniss AU, uni, might be considered out of character here and there. Katniss Everdeen/Johanna Mason, Peeta Mellark, Gale Hawthorne, (Fin)Nick Odair, Pat (OC)
1. Chapter 1: Welcome

I do not claim ownership over the characters. They belong to the creators. I play with the characters without the intention of hurting the original source. I adore it and this is one of my ways of expressing it.

The title comes from a song by Chemical Brothers titled Swoon.

Any comments concerning plot, characterization, grammar mistakes and punctuation are appreciated.

Enjoy!

'Welcome'

Barely I step into the flat and move my things out of the boxes, Nick knocks on the door.

'I have a surprise for you.' He smiles holding out a beer, I take it hesitantly as he winks and walks perkily to the door as the doorbell rings. I see Pat leaving her room jumping on one leg, quickly adjusting her stockings and double-checking for the last time her earrings and outfit in the corridor mirror. I don't know what is going on but I assume that my roommates arranged a little welcome party to celebrate my 'long-awaited arrival'. The first to come is a medium height, blond man with bright eyes. He carries a lot of bottles of beer in his arms and smiles broadly.

'Hi!'

'Come in.' The man steps in and looks straight at me, an unopened beer still in my hand, and nods his head as a greeting.

"Katniss, Peeta. Peeta, Katniss.' Nick pats us on our shoulders and slides into the kitchen. 'Put the bottles on the table, I'll put them in the fridge.'

'How are you?' Peeta asks me.

'Good, thanks. I wasn't expecting a party.'

'Don't worry. There will be only five of us. I guess Nick wants to throw you right away into the mix.' He tilts his head smiling pointing at my beer. 'Do you need help with that?' He is a pleasant looking person and although there is nothing odd about him, somehow he makes me feel uneasy. Too nice people usually tend to arouse my suspicion.

'Ow, no thanks. I was going to open that.' I go to the kitchen and see Pat talking freshly made popcorn out of the microwave.

'Peeta's nice. He is a lovely guy.' I know that Pat likes handsome men so I just smile back – she's a pretty girl herself and after knowing her for a few years I'm used to her taste in men. 'But wait till you see Gale.' She theatrically kisses her index finger and puts it on my bare shoulder making a sizzling sound as she passes me on her way to the living room, a bowl of popcorn in one of her hands and a beer stuck under her arm. I guess that means Gale is 'hot.' I roll my eyes.

'I came here to study, not to hunt men.'

'Why can't you do both at the same time?' She smiles charmingly and leaves. She's unbelievable in that matter – a second year student of business who's changing boyfriends every month. I follow her into the living room when she's already starting to chat warmly with the guys.

'I'll get it.' Pat jumps to her feet as the doorbell rings and she goes for the door while Nick waves me in. I hear an exchange of greetings and in the door appear two people smiling, both of them standing in a self-confident manner. The man has a dark hair and is tall, dressed in a simple hoody and jeans. His face has something in it which might cause people to focus – a look of pleasant seriousness and I think that I understand now what Pat meant before. Alongside him stands equally tall, dark-haired woman wearing a black leather jacket and red skinny jeans. Such an outfit makes her look strict but her blouse adds a definite feminine look to her – a white blouse with collar adorned with bird pattern. She is holding a bottle of red wine in her hand. I don't know if those two are a couple, they've come together so it's possible, but what is definite is that they might constitute a very good looking item. While I look at them curiously, Pat pops up alongside them and does quick introductions. As I suspected, the man's name is Gale while the girl is called Johanna. I continue to chat with Peeta – it turns out that he studies something connected with art and theatre, he's on his second year and bumped into Nick on his first weeks here when the latter tried to set up a uni drama club which works now pretty effectively performing once every two or three months. Gale and Johanna appear to be a part of the club – each introduced to the club by Pat, their mutual friend.

Peeta accompanies me to the kitchen where I go to grab another beer from the fridge. We stumble on Johanna who's shuffling through the drawers clearly looking for something. She doesn't turn back but she can hear us approaching.

'I need a corkscrew.' I try to help her find it but when after a few minutes it turns out that I have no idea where the thing is, she gets visibly irritated.

'Girl you live here!'

'Cut her some slack Mason. She's only arrived today.' I think that her comment is rather uncalled-for but I try to restrain myself from answering in the same manner – it's my first day here so I try to be nice but my patience is not very durable.

'What was your name again, Kat?'

'Katniss.' I stop looking for the corkscrew, puzzled by her demeanor. I exchange looks with Peeta – he's so different than her and I somehow naively assumed that all Nick's friends will resemble him.

'Right. So what do you study Kat, film?'

'Katniss. I'm going to study architecture. And you?'I cross my hands on my chest. I can't help but feeling defensive.

'Genetics. Freaking hell, Nick!' She shouts and after this rather abrupt comment she storms out of the kitchen.

'What's wrong with her?'

'She's all right. She's just bad at making first impression. Usually.' I shrug – I would call that using different words.

'Do you want one?' I reach out for the fridge and Peeta nods. When we are back, guys and Mason giggle on the couch and Pat tries to set up the music on her laptop. The guys seem to enjoy her company and I can hear that they bounce flirty conversation back and forth. We join Pat and spend with her the rest of the evening.

When the alcohol is gone and people left, I lean on the wall near the front door and close my eyes. I'm tired.

'And? What do you think?' Nick smiles while Pat yawns.

'Well, they seem nice...' I trail off but then I risk. 'Maybe apart from Mason. She seems a bit…harsh.'

'That's a rather kind opinion.' Pat chuckles. 'Usually people say worse stuff than that when they meet her.'

'But that's just the first impression. She's great, believe me. Anyway, you'll see.' Nick reassures me and I doubt that it will happen anytime soon.

What the next few weeks show is that I have a lot of classes which are terribly difficult for me to follow so I spend many hours trying to cope with the workload. I think about my student loan and my family's hopes for my great future career every time I'm tired enough to leave uni. I have little time to socialize but those rare occasions prove that Gale and Peeta are charming. Johanna Mason, on the other hand, is as cutting as they come throwing witty comments on people around her who, surprisingly, seem to genuinely like her which remains a mystery to me.


	2. Chapter 2: Message

'Message'

I meet with Nick for a coffee during my lunch break. Although we live together, I see him rarely. He's working late at the pub near our flat and when he comes back I usually sleep and when I get out for uni he's already out so I'm glad we have a moment to talk longer than three minutes.

'Here you go, a latte.'

'Thanks. How much do I owe you?'

'You're paying me with the pleasure of your company.' Nick winks at me.

'Yeah yeah right.' I smile broadly. 'Don't play that card with me. You work too hard to spend your money like that. If you really don't want the money, I'll cook you something during the weekend. Deal?' He sips his coffee observing people walking by. We're at a small café on the campus which is nonchalantly named 'BISTRO' and is owned by a short Italian woman and her husband. They make a great coffee and huge sandwiches which sell fantastically when hungry students go for morning classes.

'Sounds fair. How are you doing Katniss? Have you finished your sketch?'

'Smith's project? No, I'm still working on it.' The air is chilly as the autumn is setting in for good although leaves in the nearby park stubbornly hold on the branches. 'Today's Friday. I'm going to rest. No sketches.' I sip my coffee while straightening my legs. I turn my face into the sun. It's good to sit like that with Nick – no rushing or forced small talk.

'Sounds like a great plan – relaxing. I'm planning to do some of that during the weekend.' He finishes his coffee. 'Could you do me a favor?'

'It depends. What kind of favor is that?' I smile at him.

'My battery is dead, and I have to go to my classes ASAP and they won't finish till the evening. I don't have time to …'

'Say it quickly then.' I put my empty mug on the table.

'Could you go to building C.' I wince. I think I know where that is going. '…and find Johanna. She should be in the lab. Please tell her that today's rehearsal is put off an hour.'

'She hates me.' I growl and add. 'She hates everybody. Don't you really have no time?'

'No, she doesn't hate everybody. She's just had a tough life.'

'And that definitely transformed her into a jerk.' I sigh.

'Katniss, please. Can you do it for me? The rehearsal starts at 8pm. If there's no one when she comes, she'll be pissed and dealing with pissed Johanna is not my favorite pastime.' Nick is getting up and gathering his things, glancing at his wrist watch.

'All right. But it will be on you when she throws at me one of her precious microscopes and kills me accidently.' He rolls his eyes and ruffles my hair on his way to his bicycle which is leaning on the café's fence.

'I owe you one.'

'Oh you do.' I look at him jumping on his bike. I see a girl looking around to glance at Nick when he passes her. I sigh and get up. I have my classes in building B and I still have half an hour to kill. I go for the lab – I stroll rather slowly through the park leading to the building C. The perspective of seeing Mason ahead of me. She rarely scares me but mostly annoys me with those sarky comments of hers. I must admit that most of them are spot-on and witty, which sometimes makes me chuckle, but I'm constantly thrown back by her lack of respect for other people's feelings. I wonder if she knows about the negative effect those comments might have on other people. Such an attractive person which such a repelling character. I sigh.

I finally get to the lab, I take my hands out of the pockets of my jacket and sigh before opening the door. I can see her leaning over the microscope manipulating its handle, noting something on the side. She is the only one in the lab, other students still enjoying their break. She must love what she's doing if she is willing to resign from her break to solitarily work in here. She seems so lost in her work that she doesn't look up when I enter. I try to be quiet as I suspect that being too loud in her working sacred place might give her the reason for a particularly harsh remark. I come really close to her but she doesn't seem to see me. I notice dark rimmed smart looking glasses on her nose which surprises me – somehow the big fierce Johanna Mason in my mind doesn't need the help of such trivial tools like glasses.

'I didn't know you wear glasses.' Sometimes, I regret that my mind-mouth filter doesn't work as well as I'd wish. She doesn't look up from her microscope so I clear my throat. 'Yeah anyway, Nick's battery is dead and he asked me to tell you that today's rehearsal is postponed to 8pm.' Still nothing. Gosh this girl is unbearable. 'Hey!' I raise my voice. She raises her head enough to see my stomach.

'Hi Everdeen. Thanks for the information.' I roll my eyes and turn around.

'You're unbelievable Mason.' I walk quickly to the door and just when my hand is on the knob I hear her speaking.

'Hey! Sorry, I needed to finish that and you distract me.' I turn around sharply intending to tell something witty and equally cutting as she usually does but she throws me off my balance. I distract her? Right. When I turn around I'm surprised to see her leaning back comfortably in her chair, her glasses no longer on her nose while her eyes are carefully scanning me. I don't know why but my frustration grows – when I was talking to her she didn't even grant me a proper glance but now I seem to transform into most fascinating laboratory object. She doesn't hide the fact that she's looking at me, although I can see that she tenses a bit.

'Do I look more attractive from the back that you're finally honoring me with your glance?' I spit and she raises an eyebrow and one of corners of her mouth.

'You might.' I see that she's taken my unintentional bait. 'Do you know that your hips move nicely when you walk fast?'

'Don't you dare looking at my …?'She doesn't let me finish.

'Or what?' She's smiling broadly now leaning on the desk. I've seen her enjoying such banter before – the goal of it to intimidate the person she's talking to. I won't let her the satisfaction so I growl and head for the door. I totally don't know how to handle her. She's like a hot piece of coal which got out of the fireplace. When it's out, it burns with red and crimson and you might be captivated by its colors but at the same time you know that you need to do something with it and this will inevitably burn your skin.


	3. Chapter 3: Pub

'Pub'

We're at a pub Nick works after one of the rehearsals of the drama club. I sit there drinking a beer Peeta brought me. We observe a quarrel on the other side of the table. Mason, Nick and Gale argue about something. Gale waves his hands in the air frantically trying to explain his point – he must have said something funny because Mason spits out a mouthful of beer and although she covers her mouth she laughs madly. Her laugh is quiet though, her body contracts from laughing, she holds a hand on her stomach but makes little sound. Gale glares at her but continues his speech. I think Mason looks odd sitting between Gale and Nick. Some people who don't know them often take Nick and Johanna as a couple while Gale constantly tries to charm her – the woman seems to enjoy his company but somehow is resistant to his seduction. Two handsome men and a pretty girl – it could have been a film script love triangle scenario. When I observe them and my thoughts wonder like that I don't concentrate on anybody in particular. Suddenly, I notice that Mason is looking straight at me. I decide to pretend that I wasn't looking at them but just slightly above their heads. I keep my glare for a while and she finally looks away. I don't know if I convinced her but still I don't back away and smile at Peeta.

'My turn to buy you a beer' I say.

'You don't have to.'

'I know but I want to.' I smile and get up. 'Guys, do you need anything else from the bar?'

'We're fine, thanks.' Gale replies smiling.

I lean over the counter at the bar waiting for my turn when I feel a tap on my back. I turn around smiling thinking it's Peeta who's too stubborn to let me buy him a drink. Instead of his face I see a stranger.

'Hi pretty.' I don't reciprocate his goofy smile.

'Two beers please.' I tell the bartender who gives me my order. When I turn around ready to leave, the man grabs my arm. He's clearly had too many drinks down his throat.

'I won't let you go so easily.'

'Let go of me.' I hiss and try to free my hand. The man's hold grows stronger and I feel a sting of pain in my arm which suddenly stops. I'm free. Someone stumbled heavily right between us. The man shifts abruptly to face the intruder. I turn to see the person who's going to take my place and suffer from his abuse. I'm surprised to see Johanna.

'Oh sorry. Did I hit you?' She has a grin on her face which infuriates the man even more than the hit.

'Are you blind? You interrupted our conversation.'

'Did you enjoy your chat Katniss?' She turns to me checking and I shake my head, beers in my hands.

'Sorry mate. She wasn't enjoying your charming speech.' She shrugs her shoulders and takes one of the beer and my free now hand and starts leading me back to our table.

'Lesbo!' I hear behind us and see Johanna rush back to the man.

'What did you say?' She hisses. I see her palm forming a fist and I know that it won't lead to anything good. I put my hand on her shoulder and squeeze delicately.

'Come on, leave it. Please.' She shrugs my hand off.

'Was that supposed to offend me? It didn't so... go fuck yourself.' She says the last part very clearly.

'Any problem here?' Gale materializes on my side and looks at Johanna.

'All good.' The man puts his hands in the air as if admitting a defeat. Gale clenches his jaw and scans his face.

'Great. Let's go to our table then.' Johanna leads the way and we get back to where Nick and Peeta are sitting.

'Are you all right?' Peeta asks me concerned. 'What was that about?'

'Some moron.' I respond looking at Gale and Johanna. He tries to calm her down but I suspect it would be better to leave her alone to cool off. I take a deep breath and try to rewind what just happened. I shiver and I glance at Mason who's looking at me.

'You all right there?' She asks.

'Yeah. Thanks.' I try to smile and she nods. Then she drinks the rest of her beer in one long gulp. I observe her while she does it and notice that her left hand which lays on the table trembles. Is it fear or anger?

'I need a smoke.' She states and gets up to leave.


	4. Chapter 4: Fight

'Fight'

While Johanna is out we try to talk about the things which keep us occupied those days. She doesn't come back for a while.

'Where's Johanna?'

'Probably still smoking. She was pissed.' Nick replies.

'I think I need a bit of fresh air too. I'll be right back.' I get up and Peeta offers to keep me company.

'You think you're better than me hun?!' When I close the door I can hear someone shouting and it makes me uneasy. The man's voice is hoarse and then it is followed by a loud thud. I speed up but it gets me a long minute to run through complicated stairs leading down to the pub. When I'm on a street level, I stop shocked – Johanna is crashed into the wall and the man from the pub earlier is holding her by the laps of her jacket. I can see her face contort in pain.

'Me better? When you're such a truly fantastic guy great at fighting girls? Yes, I think I'm better than that.' He shoves her harder into the wall.

'Hey!' I hear myself shouting and I run into their direction. I'm not sure what I'm going to do when I reach them but I can't stand like that watching him beat her up. 'Let her go!'

All happens very quickly. I'm almost there when I see him punch her in the stomach. She bends and falls to the ground when he plants a strong kick into her side. And then he runs. I go after him but after a few meters I stop and rush back to Johanna. Peeta is already helping her to sit up. She's holding her ribcage with one hand.

'What the hell was that?' Peeta asks.

'Same twat from earlier.' She coughs and leans her head on the wall. 'I think that some extra circular self-defense classes are becoming my next point on to-do-list.'

'We need to go to hospital. And police!' I crouch next to her too afraid to touch her.

'No, we don't.' She tries to get up and when Peeta tries to help her, she pushes his hands off. 'I can do it. Really.' I decide to run for Nick and Gale – maybe they will be able to talk some sense into her. I'm right as Nick after long talk finally manages to convince Johanna to go to the emergency where they take an X-ray and state that apart from a few ugly looking bruises she's fine.

'I won't let you go home alone. Something wrong might be going on with you and there's no one there to help you.' Nick states.

'I'm not a kid Odair.'

Finally, the three of us end up at our apartment. Although Johanna claims that she's all right and she seemingly appears to be fine, she winces every time she bends or makes a bigger step.

'You can sleep at mine.' Nick offers her his room. He rushes into it to gather clothes scattered all over the floor. 'I just need to …'

'No offence Nick but I'm not going to sleep in that mess. And besides you snore like no one else I know.' She tries to laugh it off but that makes her groans in pain so she leans on the wall closing her eyes. I wonder how she discovered Nick's snoring but I quickly shake this thought off – they're friends long enough so somewhere there she must have seen him sleeping. 'I should've gone home.' She states stubbornly.

'If you don't want to sleep at Nick's, you can sleep in my bed then.' I offer and Johanna opens her eyes and scans my face.

'And where are you going to sleep Everdeen?'

'Sleeping bag.'

'Right.' She takes a deep breath. 'Sleeping bag.'

Johanna doesn't shower so she watches as Nick and I arrange a fresh set of bed linen. When it's done, Nick hands her one of his uni T-shirts as an emergency pajamas.

'You can sleep in that, if you want.'

'Thanks.' She smiles at him and says jokingly. 'But I'm not going to change when you are here watching me perv.'

'Shit, sorry.' Nick quickly heads for the door and I get up too.

'I might need your help though.' It stops me and I turn around to see jeansless Johanna sitting on my bed. She's fighting now with her blouse.

'Freaking hell.' She growls as she is not able to remove it. I kneel down in front of her and unbutton the rest of it and then help her take it off. I didn't expect to see such a skinny body hidden underneath it. Her chest seems fragile, especially now, with a huge dark bruise on her right side and few scratches on her shoulders and arms. I grit my teeth. Some time must pass as I'm unconsciously transfixed by the dark mark on her body.

'Hey there. I know that I'm sexy as hell but don't stare at me like that.' I look at her face. 'Really, don't worry. I'll live.' I sigh and help her put on Nick's T-shirt. When I'm to leave, she stops me again.

'Wait. Now the tricky part. I'm not going to sleep in my bra.' I'm surprised to see ashamed Johanna – I don't know if it's caused by the intimacy it requires or just her temporal inability to cope with it herself . 'Could you help me with that?'

'Sure.' I kneel back where I was a minute ago and look at her face and then past it. I put my hands under the T-shirt and try to unzip the bra – I feel strange doing that, really strange. And unzipping someone else's bra suddenly proves to be a much more difficult task than I expected. Finally, it's gone and I'm the one blushing now.

'You've never done that before.' She comments matter-of-factly and I knit my brows looking at her. I don't know what to answer – of course I did it before, I'm a woman. I've never unzipped other woman's bra… if that's what she means. She slips under the covers and stills.

'I'm all good.' She sighs contentedly.

'I'll be back soon.' I state as I rush for the bathroom to take a shower. Behind me I hear Johanna speaking.

'Don't worry. I'm not going to ransack your room. Or run away.' I smile to myself and take a quick shower.

When I'm back she seems to be asleep so I slip quietly into my sleeping bag. After a few minutes on the floor, I conclude that this is not the most comfortable way of sleeping. Truth be told, I've never thought that it is that uncomfortable. Or maybe I'm such a spoilt person used to comforts. Anyway, I try to still and sleep but I can't and I toss and turn unbearably.

'This is crazy.' I hear Johanna.

'Sorry. Did I wake you up?'

'No, you didn't. I just...' She hesitates for a moment. 'I'm here in your bed after you chivalry offered it to me. And you can't sleep.' I roll my eyes in the dark.

'No problem.'

'No, on the contrary.' She sighs. 'Jump in.'

'What?' I'm not sure if I heard her correctly.

'Come on, jump in.' I hear her groan as she moves to the other side of the bed. 'Seriously, I'm not going to strangle you in your sleep. At least not consciously.' I sit up and think for a minute and then hesitantly slip into the covers on my side of the bed. 'Don't worry Everdeen. I'll keep my hands off you. I promise.'

'I don't worry about that.'

'Right right you don't. I'm starting to think that you arranged all that just to get me into bed with you.'

'How can you even joke like that about what happened?' I sigh. 'It's my fault you…'

'Did you attack me?!' She interrupts me angrily. 'Besides, it's nice to sleep with someone. It's warm.' If it wasn't for the darkness, she would see me blush.

I wake up, I think early, in the morning on my side of the bed opposite Johanna. She's still sleeping. Her face is calm and I cannot resist examining it more closely. The fringe of her dark hair which has occasional red strands covers her temple and eyes. She has few freckles on her nose. I haven't notice that before. Her nose is rather small and a bit pointy. Her lips are narrow and slightly parted now. I could get up and eat something but I decide to stay for one more minute to look at her – I won't see her in such state, well, probably ever again. When I lay there like that, I hear a knock on the door and I almost jump as if someone caught me doing something illegal.

'Christ.' I whisper. Johanna groans as I sit up quickly and see Pat's face popping up hesitantly behind the door.

'Oh sorry.' She says and disappears.

'Moring Everdeen. Do you get up like that often? Like a pack of wolves was chasing you?' Johanna yawns.

'No, sorry.' I stutter. 'Morning. I'll go make some breakfast.' I go out to the kitchen where Pat is already making pancakes which smell fantastically. I breathe in the smell. She turns around to face me with a fork in her hand.

'Sorry for earlier. I didn't want to interrupt. Nick told me what happened yesterday.'

'Yeah. That was nasty.' She looks at me bizarrely. 'You didn't interrupt anything. Just woke me up.'

'You sure? You jumped like I burnt you or something.' She turns back to the frying pan. 'Sleeping bag wasn't comfortable?'

'I couldn't fall asleep on the floor. It's horribly uncomfortable, you know. So Johanna let me sleep with her.'

'Oh Johanna let you sleep…' I hit her shoulder playfully and she smiles. 'OK, OK. Stop it.'

'Could we get some of those?'

'You and Johanna?' She grins.

'And Nick?' I add.

'He's already out. Morning classes.' She explains. 'We can have a bigger breakfast. But on one condition, please go and buy some coffee and milk because we're out.' I'm famished so I run to the shop. When I'm back, Johanna, still in Nick's T-shirt, helps Pat. She looks better than yesterday and Pat insists on seeing her 'wounds'. I sigh and turn to my pancakes.


	5. Chapter 5: Pill

'Pill'

'Come on. It works miracles.' Gale glances at us. 'I vouch for the effect.' Johanna shakes her head. 'Come on.' He teases.

I usually don't do drugs – I consider them to be a sort of a brain cheat. And more so, an unpredictable one. I see Nick and even Peeta taking the pills from Gale's palm so I join them. Johanna refuses so Gale pops the last pill into his mouth and winks at us. I feel totally normal for a while but then it hits me. My vision starts to be wobbly – the colors are super bright, at least I think they are like that. The music pounds in my ears and then suddenly mutes, and then comes back again louder. I'm dancing to the rhythm, the guys somewhere near although I can't see them exactly. Honestly, I don't care anymore where they are. I stumble into someone and I'm surprised to see Johanna. I grin at her while she does this recognizable face expression of hers – a smile with one raised eyebrow.

'Hi!' I shout and put my arms around her neck. She doesn't pull away but I feel her tense. I move in closer. 'I'm happy that you came!' I shout into her ear and she shakes her head in disbelief.

'It's working, isn't it?' I grin and give her a quick peck on the cheek.

'Dance with me.' When she hesitantly wraps her hands around my waist, I feel something strange going on in my stomach and then I wince.

'You all right?' Johanna asks and I grimace in response. She instantly grabs my hands off her neck and leads me off the dance floor.

'No.' I extend my free hand to the people dancing. They seem to be so beautiful in the dark lights of the club. They move fantastically, wait, do they float in the air? No, that's not possible, is it? I want to join them but Johanna's grip on my hand is strong . When she shoves me into a cab I don't protest.

'Why did you do that?' I puff my lips at her.

'You'll thank me tomorrow, believe me.' Her face is glowing with all the possible shades of red. All her freckles have little flames around them…

'You're glowing. Like… really glowing.' I stare at her. 'Like you were on fire!' I shove my hands into the air enthusiastically and then turn back to her saying slowly. 'I love the way you look. You're glowing...'

'Gosh, you don't know what you're saying.' She chuckles.

'Wow.' I extend my hands to touch her face but then I see the lights in the side window of the cab next to Johanna's shoulder. I almost crawl onto her lap, or rather I stumble from my side of the seat into hers so I half sit, half lay onto her legs. 'Can you see it?' I ask charmed. 'This glass is so beautiful.' I think that I start to cry as I observe the lights for a while. Then I look at her and she's observing me. 'You have the most intriguing eyes I've ever seen. I can't crack them.'

I tell her that just as the cab pulls off and we get out. The way to my flat is funny. I chuckle all the way up. When Pat lets us in, I put a finger on my mouth. 'Shhh.' I let go of Johanna and pretend to walk as silently as possible to my room. On my way, I stumble and hit the wall, I think. I'm on my feet fast and grin at the girls who are standing near the front door.

'What the…' I see Pat's surprised face.

'Gale gave her some pills.'

'And they work miracles!' I declare with my finger pointed into the air. 'I want to eat strawberries... Pat! Do we have strawberries? I love strawberries!' I grin at them.

'Pills, I see.' Pat sighs. 'Thanks. I'll take her from here.'

'OK, I'm leaving then.'

'Let's put you to bed Katniss.' Pat walks to me as Johanna turns to the door.

'No!' I shout and shake off Pat's hands. 'No. I'm not going anywhere without you.' I point firmly at Johanna. I walk straight to her and stop just in front of her face. She moves back leaning on the door. 'Hi. I think I like you.' I smile charmingly. 'And I wonder how you smell.'

'Gosh.' Pat sighs behind me. I turn around abruptly to give her a glare. Then I turn around to face Johanna. I put my nose on her neck and sniff. I move to her collar bone and then up to her ear. I close my eyes and take a last deep breath and pull away. Johanna looks shocked so I smile broadly.

'You smell like forest.' I announce happily. I narrow my eyes. 'I wonder…' I trail off and put my hand on her cheek – I feel her move into the door even more – I move my thumb over the corner of her lips.

'OK that's it!' Pat declares from behind me and pulls me away. 'You're going to sleep. Right now.'

'No!' I say firmly without turning back from Johanna's face. 'I'm not going anywhere without you.'

'Freaking hell, Everdeen! You're behaving like a spoilt child.' Johanna sighs. 'OK, I'll stay, for a few minutes only.' I bounce up and take her hand as I lead her to my room. 'But keep your hands off me!'

'I'll be good, I'll promise.'

'I don't doubt that. Are you even slightly aware what you're doing?'

I let her hand free and jump on my bad. It's unusually soft.

'Come on, it's so soft.' I encourage Johanna and she smiles shaking her head and sits on the bed. I smile at her and look up at the ceiling. I pat a space alongside me and she slowly lays down. I put my head on her shoulder, hug her and close my eyes as the scent of a forest engulfs me.


	6. Chapter 6: The Day After

The Day After

I wake up with a terrible throbbing in my head. I grab my temples with my palms, squeeze them and groan in pain. After a minute, I try to get up but my legs are wobbly so I sit on the edge of the bed till the dizziness stops. I get up slowly and head for the kitchen. I need water. This is the worst hangover ever. No more Gale's magical pills. No way.

'Good morning Casanova.' Pat greets me smiling at her cereal.

'Hi.' I process the greeting a bit longer than usual. 'Casa…? What?' I grab the nearest chair and sit down slowly putting down my head on the table. My left cheek is on its cold surface and it feels so good. I open my eyes as Pat puts a glass of water in front of my face. 'Thanks.' I drink it and return to my cheek-on-the-table position.

'I really, really hope you remember last night.' Pat grins. 'That was something. I wish I had a camera.' She chuckles. This gets my attention.

'What? Why?' I get up and try to rewind yesterday – a party, Gale's pills, fire – wait what?, Johanna's red lips – whoa… .

'I was at a party and Gale gave us those pills.' I recall that perfectly well. 'Never take Gale's pills Pat.'

'And?' She encourages me to continue, smiling, a spoon on her lips.

'And I was dancing and then I came home. I guess.'

'You guess? Do you remember how did you get here?' She's really enjoying it.

'Hm… I took a cab?'

'You took a cab. OK. And is there any chance that you remember whom you came home with?'

'A… alone?'

'Nope.' Pat grins and turn to her breakfast.

'I remember.' I declare and make a probable guess. 'I took a cab with Peeta.'

'No.' Pat's answer is playfully long. 'Johanna.' She winks.

'What's funny about that? It was nice of her to take me home as she was the only one who didn't take those pills.'

'Yes, very nice. I'll give you a hint to refresh your memory.' She wrinkles her nose and sniffs, once then again this time stronger.

'… what?' I feel my cheeks burning.

'Hi. I wonder how you smell… You smell like forest!' Pat announces theatrically imitating my voice. 'It was very interesting to watch you sniff Johanna's neck. Gosh, she looked amazing. I thought that she would run away any second.' She chuckles. 'Then you dragged her into your room claiming that you wouldn't go anywhere without her.' I take my head in my hands. I'll blush to death next time I see Johanna. 'You were adorable and Johanna looked so lost. Priceless!' Pat takes a spoonful of cereal in her mouth.

'You're joking, right? That's a joke.' I say contentedly. 'If that was true, she would be still here, in my room. And she isn't. Ha!' I'm proud of my logical thinking.

'She left half an hour ago.' Pat winks. 'And did I mention that you would've kissed her if I hadn't stopped you?' I look at her seriously. 'I guessed you would like to remember something like that.'


	7. Chapter 7: Sorry

Sorry

It takes me the rest of the weekend to men up, go and apologize for my behaviour. I still don't remember much but judging from what Pat said, I was pretty… out of character.

I decide to pay Johanna a very short visit just before my Monday classes. I plan to use them as an excuse to keep the meeting short enough to apologize and leave.

On my way there, I feel more uncomfortable than I expected to be. Although Johanna might have helped me and somehow managed to appear likeable, she's still the same cutting woman I've met. Despite that I managed to behave like a child around her, it doesn't change the fact that she makes me feel uneasy. And if it's true that I tried to kiss her, I'm in a deep trouble because how can I explain that? I have no idea what made me act like that. I do not kiss women. In fact, I don't kiss anyone that easily.

I bite my lip and sigh as I'm walking towards the building where she lives. Taking the stairs buys me more time. I know what I want to say. I need only to say it and leave. I walk slowly holding a small paper bag in my right hand – when walking here, I passed a little bakery where I stopped and bought myself a donut and a few croissants for Johanna – an apology gift for the emotional distress I caused.

Finally, I open the door leading to the floor where Johanna's flat is situated and just when I'm to step out from the staircase, I hear a familiar voice. I freeze and listen up. It can't be… but…I concentrate and now I'm sure. Gale. My fingers tighten around the folds of the paper bag and I take a step back. I don't close the door entirely and leave a vast enough gap to hear their voices. I shouldn't do it but I can't help myself as I wonder what is Gale doing so early here talking with Johanna.

'Thanks for yesterday. I really had a good time.' I hear his voice and my stomach tightens.

'Anytime. It wasn't that bad for me either.' Her voice teases.

'See you tonight then?'

'Yeah, bye.'

I close the door and lean on the wall. I guess Gale headed for the lift because there is no reason for him to take the stairs. I feel strange – I shouldn't have witnessed that but I cannot help thinking that I'm missing something here. When I met them I thought that they looked like a couple but seeing Gale leaving after a night obviously spent at Johanna's makes me strangely uncomfortable. I close my eyes and take a deep breath. Well, another reason to make a very quick visit.

When I'm in front of Johanna's door I swallow my pride and knock. Nothing happens so I knock again – this time harder. Nothing. I know that she's in and I feel that I won't master enough will to come again so I knock one more time and finally, I hear shuffling behind the door.

'Who's there?!'

'Katniss.' There's a silence for a while and when the door opens I notice that I must've dragged Johanna out of the shower. I look down and tense a bit more – right, a nice morning shower after a nice night.

'Hi.' I try to look confident. She's wrapped in a white big towel covering most of her body. Her hair is wet – drops of water are marking their way on her neck and collar bones as they slide down her body. Gale's lucky. I shake it off.

'Hi.' She smiles and I cannot prevent myself from noticing her eyes lighting up. I don't know if it's because she's happy to see me or, more likely, she's amused because she remembers my embarrassing party behaviour.

'Can I come in?' When she steps back and I enter, I give the flat a quick look as I've never been here before. I feel my heartbeat rise a bit as Pat's last remark goes through my mind.

'Hm… Actually, I'm in a hurry. I have classes in 20 minutes.' Johanna states behind me.

'Yeah. I'll be quick.' I hand her the bag awkwardly. 'That's for you. Croissants. I bought them a few minutes before so they should still be warm.' She takes it with her left hand while the right it still holding the rim of the towel at her chest.

'Thanks. And what is the reason of such a tasty morning gift Katniss?' She's still smiling. It makes me angry as I remember the probable reason for her good humour.

'I saw Gale.' When I hear my voice, I tense. I shouldn't have said that.

'Ow, did you?' She smiles broadly and I feel anger building up inside me. I came here to apologize and she's not making it any easier. I clear my throat.

'Anyway, it's not my business. Sorry.' Her smile, although it's still there, flattens. 'I came to apologize…for Saturday night. And thank you for bringing me home safely.'

'No problem.' Her voice is firm, the teasing gone.

'Yeah… I… I want you to know that…' I try to sound as casual as I can. She puts the bag on the table alongside her and rearranges the towel. She stands in front of me with her arms crossed at her chest. 'It wasn't me then. I'm so sorry for everything. I want you to know that everything…' I take a deep breath. 'Everything what I did, everything what I said, none of that counts. I was high. I didn't mean it. I'm sorry. I promise it won't happen again.' I'm thrown out of balance for a second because if her eyes could kill I would be dead there on that spot. A thought crosses my mind that I must have said something completely wrong but I'm not sure which part of my speech made her so angry. 'Please, I didn't want to offend you in any way.'

'OK.' Her short reply is cold. She's silently standing barefoot, wrapped in that towel and I suddenly feel awkward so I make a tentative move towards the door. The apology didn't go as I planned it. It was supposed to be quick and easy and end with a smile or Johanna's witty joke. And it isn't like that and it is obvious for both of us.

'Before you leave, take the bag.'

'What? I brought it for you.'

'Yes, I know but I'm in a hurry so I won't have time to eat it anyway.'

'I thought you liked it.'

'I thought that too but I guess I was wrong.' This comment seems too complicated to be about croissants so I frown standing just a feet from her with the bag shoved in my hands confused about what is going on. She waves her hand towards open door. 'Leave Everdeen. I'm in a hurry.' I get out and although she sees that I'm on my way to turn around, she shuts the door. I stand in the corridor, the croissants in my hand, … and I feel like a jerk.


	8. Chapter 8: Sweet Dreams

Sweet Dreams

I wake up from my dream as I feel something stirring beneath me and I hear a grunt of pain.

'Shit... What time is it?' I roll of her shoulder as she pulls her body up. When my eyes adjust to darkness, I see Johanna's fists rubbing her eyes. When she's done she looks at me.

'Sorry, I must've fallen asleep.'

'Your shoulder is quite comfortable to sleep on Mason.'

'Thanks.'

'Do you really need to go?'

'Yeah...'

'It's terribly late.'

'So?'

'You could stay.' She sighs. 'There is no point in you going home so late. You can as well stay and sleep. I promise I won't crush your shoulder again. Deal?'

'Well…'

'Come on Johanna! There's no harm in you staying here.'

….

'No you're quite attractive actually.' Her voice is teasing.

'Quite? How dare you?!' I pretend that I'm offended. 'OK, on scale from one to ten, how attractive am I?'

'In general?'

'Let's start with that.'

'Hard to decide, well…' I punch her playfully on the shoulder. 'I would give you a six.'

'Six?!'

'What? It's not a bad place.'

'OK then. How attractive am I to you?'

'And why are you so sure that you're attractive to me at all?' She smiles broadly. 'Anyway, I've already told you.' She rolls onto her back and puts her hands on her face rubbing herself awake.

'No that was a general assessment. I want to know how attractive I am to you. Personally.'

She doesn't answer for a while.

'Come on! What are you thinking about so hard?' I move in closer. She opens her eyes and I see a mischievous flicker in them when she glances at me.

'I need more data to decide.' I pull away.

'More data? Should I give you a lap dance to help you decide?' She chuckles.

'Well, I guess it wouldn't hurt.'

'Oh you're such a tease Mason!' I tickle her side and her body jerks up. 'I didn't know you're so ticklish!' I laugh.

'I'm not.'

"Oh, let me see…'She tries to escape but I tickle her all over the places which I expect to make her laugh. She tries to catch my hands but I'm quicker. I enjoy myself immensely when she tosses and turns beneath my touch.

'Stop it! Stop it! Please! I'll tell! Stop it!' She declares between laughs.

'Shhh!' I chuckle. 'You'll wake up everybody .' I'm out of breath. My body is over hers. I managed to hold her hands above her head and now she's laying beneath me breathless and flushed. I lick my lips. Our eyes lock and when I realize how it looks like I release her hands and straighten up hands in the air sitting on her lap.

'Victory!'

I might have expected that Johanna is not the type which lets people win so easily. When I let my guard down, she makes instant use of it. She rises up, her hands firmly on my sides, her forehead nearly touching my chest and she confidently rolls us over.

'Hey!'

Now, she's the one on top holding my shoulders down.

'How's the winner now hm?' Her eyes glisten and I'm captivated by how she looks – still out of breath, grinning.

'That's cheating and by the way, you still owe me your answer Mason.'

'Answer?' She seems to forget what we're talking about.

'How att…'

'Oh this one. Now, I would give you a strong eight.' I see her eyes move for a second to my lips and then back to my eyes.

'Eight… OK, I can work with that.'

My elbows lean on the bed as I push my body up. She tries to move off me but I hold her still and sit up. I have her on my lap now, her hands on my shoulders. Neither of us is laughing as I look into her face, Johanna clears her throat.

'Well Everdeen, following the cheesy storylines from romantic comedies you should kiss me now.'

Her words surprise me and I lose my confidence. When I move away from her a bit, her smile grows and I realize that was the goal of her words – they supposed to scare me off.

'See, I knew you wouldn't do it.'

She is off my lap and moves to the wall where she sits on the cushions, her back leaning on the wall. I look at my hands folded in my lap. Finally, I sit beside her and tilt my head to look at her face. She has closed her eyes, her hands crossed at her chest.

'And what would you do if I actually kissed you smartass hm?'

'Well, it depends on how good the kiss would be. I'm not that into you to let you seduce me with a small kiss.' She doesn't open her eyes.

'You're not that into me? But you're into me?!' I say confidently and she opens her eyes.

'Hey, I didn't said that.'

'Too late. Challenge accepted.' I take a deep breath.

'Challenge?! Wait, don't you even try…'

'What would you do if I…' I slowly and hesitantly sit on her lap my hands lightly touching her hips. She straightens up, her head no longer resting on the wall. I look into her eyes, swallow and continue. 'What would you do if I did this…'

I lean in, my face inches from hers, our eyes open. I don't close my eyes so I can observe her reaction and back away any time. My lips are close to her right ear while my cheek delicately presses on hers. I take a deep breath and tilt my head a bit so my cheek caressed hers and I slowly move as if moving away but without bearing the contact of my check with her face. My lips slightly open, my breathing getting sharper. I stop when my nose is close to hers and I move my hands from her hips up to her sides and prop myself up so my mouth is on the level of her eyes. I bit my lip and see that her eyes are darker than usual, her pupils broadened.

'What would you do if I did this?' I plant a gentle kiss on the side corner of her right eye. She blinks.

'And this…?' My mouth move down on her cheek slowly till her jaw. I kiss on her neck on my way down. I rest my forehead on her shoulder and take a deep breath. I bring my right hand up with the intent to touch her collar bones. My fingers are trembling. I pull away a bit watching my fingers touching her right collar bone. I move them slowly trying to follow its shape. I swallow and lean in and kiss it. I don't pull away this time and kiss its whole length. Finally, I plant a kiss on the place on her neck where the collar bone and neck meet. Under the skin, I feel her racing pulse. I kiss it again opening my mouth and I hear her sigh while she tilts her head aside allowing me more access.

'Katniss… sto… Kat… stop it.'

She puts her hands on my sides but doesn't back away. I kiss my way up to her jaw and her grip tightens. My hips move into hers and I sigh when they meet, feeling the warmth of her body. I lean away a bit to look into her face. He lips are partly open and she breathes heavily. I put my hands on both of her cheeks and lean in. I don't touch her lips tough. I hover over them, my nose caressing the side of hers.

'Please…' While she says this, I close my eyes unable anymore to follow her request. 'Don't…'

I stop her words kissing her lips. Her hands firmly bring me closer to her when I kiss her again. I lean in and kiss her open mouth, her lips moving confidently against mine. I feel her tongue touching my lips and I lose the control over my body. I put my arms over her neck and press my body against hers. I break the kiss to take a breath and return to kiss her instantly. It is so easy to do it, so natural. Every sigh which escapes her mouth rises a new wave of heat in my body and I want to kiss her more, stronger, deeper. With every second, I want her more. I feel her fingers fumble with the rim of my shirt and she starts to pull it up. Her palms are warm against my skin and I sigh into her mouth. I break the kiss and tilt my head while she kisses my jaw up to my ear while my hips grind against hers.

When she stops kissing me and looks into my eyes, the sight pulls me back suddenly to reality. Her eyes are tearful.

'Hey...' My voice is hoarse. She holds me firmly.

'It's just a game for you.' She says weakly.

'Johanna… I guess… It's never been a game for me.'

'Please remember this tomorrow.' I'm surprised to hear it.

'I promise.'

…

I wake up panting.

'No no no.' I whisper. I feel the sweat on my body and I shiver. I rub my fists into my closed eyes and try to erase the vivid images from my mind. When my breathing finally slows down, I cuddle into the sheets.

…

When the door suddenly open, although a second before I was pounding on them madly, I'm taken aback.

'What?! Did you forget something?' Through the crack in the door I can see Johanna's flushed faced.

'Yes, actually I did.' I push the door open. Johanna steps aside letting me unwillingly inside.

'No tasty morning gifts today Everdeen? You have a terrible timing.' She's standing in front of me in the hallway, hands crossed on her chest. I guess she's talking about my visible ability to pull her out of a shower. I quickly scan the flat.

'Is Gale here?'

'Gale?! What's wrong with you?! Why should he…? No!'

'Good.' I state firmly and register her confusion grows.

'Listen, I don't have time for your mood swings Everdeen. What was it you forgot again?' She waves her hand dismissively at her flat. 'I doubt you'll find it here.'

It's too late to stop when I register what I'm doing. I step closer to her and cup her check in my right hand closing the distance left between us. She's quick to react though and stops me before I'm too close.

'Whoa! What are you thinking you're doing exactly?'

She doesn't move away but puts her hands on my shoulders gently pushing me away from her. My hand drops slowly off her cheek to her neck and I feel that my eyes are on the verge of tears. What the hell I was thinking?...

I try to compose myself but it's too late because she's noticed the tears forming in my eyes.

'Hey…' Her voice is soft and she looks at me almost apologetically.

My body repeats the same move and this time she does not push me away. I look into her eyes and I see that she's lost between looking at my eyes and my lips. I cup her cheek as my lips hover over hers. With my eyes still open, I tilt my head slowly as if I wasn't sure where I should kiss her. When my lips caress her upper lip and don't resist anymore. Her mouth are closed but I feel her hands falling from my shoulders. When I move back and open my eyes I see her eyes still closed and an expression of sadness on her face.

'You didn't have to do that.' She whispers.

I bring my second hand to her cheek and hold her face softly bringing her lips closer to mine. I don't feel her resisting but slightly leaning into me so I kiss her more confidently. Just when I'm to pull away I feel her hands on my sides holding me in place as she's starting to kiss me back. First very tentatively and then more fervently. I put my arms over her neck and feel her hands pulling me into her. When I feel her tongue brushing my lips, I pull her in harder. I hear her sigh.

When I pull away, my arms still over her neck we both breathe heavily. I put my forehead on hers and stand still trying to even my breathing.

'I'm sorry.' When I say it, she tenses instantly and straightens up. 'No.' I look up at her face. 'I mean, I'm sorry for yesterday. For what I said then. When I woke up the previous day, you weren't there and I didn't remember and… I…' She's silent for a while.

'You know, you're making me awfully late again.' I smile confused. 'I guess, it won't make much difference then if you stay and eat breakfast with me, what do you think?' I hug her firmly. 'I take it as a yes.'


End file.
